Normani finally has an album coming out. It’s called Dopamine and it’s been gestating for years. She knows that, and she knows that she could have put out several albums in that time, but I get the feeling that she’s a huge perfectionist and she’s also a bit gun-shy about wading into all of the attention and publicity. So here we are – she’s on the cover of the digital issue of The Cut and she’s giving her first big magazine interview in a while. She chatted with The Cut about how her label forced her to release “Motivation,” how she likes to be submissive in relationships and whether she runs her own fan accounts.

Normani on creating music in her own time: “I could’ve put three albums out by now in that duration. I’m not oblivious to that. But I felt like I owed it to myself to be able to take my time, and reinvent, and be experimental.” Fifth Harmony had no artistic control over their own music, she says.

Normani on creating her hit song “Motivation”: “I didn’t feel like it represented me and I’d already known how that felt. But the label was like, ‘Sorry, it’s coming out.'” (RCA declined to comment.) She remembers compromising with the music video, of which there are 50 edits: “This needs to be Black as f–k.”

Normani on not wanting to be the lead of Fifth Harmony and fearing for her life after fan backlash: “I didn’t want to be at the forefront,” she says, because she was grateful for the ability to hide. “It wasn’t until later that I started feeling like a token. We just continued to do shows, and I was fearing for my life. But they continued to put me out there on the stage. It was pretty much like, ‘The show goes on.'”

Normani on if she runs her own fan accounts: “No, I mean, I’m definitely heavily involved,” she says calmly when I ask about her relationship to her fan accounts. But does she run any of them? Does her team at RCA? “Yeah, I think we can skip this question,” her publicist says.

Normani on romantic relationships: “I think it can be controversial when you say you like to be submissive, especially in this day and age of feminism. But especially for me, being an alpha female — specifically in my work environment, where I’m having to lead and wear so many different hats — it’s nice to be able to come home and feel protected in my relationship. And to find stability in knowing that, there, I’m going to be led well.” Is that kind of man rare? “There ain’t nothing out here, chile. I’m very blessed, but it’s scary times for sure.”

Normani on the pressure to be successful and the difficulties interacting with people in the industry: “For so long, I allowed music, numbers, and how successful I am define me,” she says. That’s another reason why Dopamine has taken so long: She needed time to actually live for herself. She was sheltered in her childhood by homeschooling, and it made her feel as if she were removed from other people. “I’ve always felt like I can hold a conversation, but, like, I’d rather not,” she tells me, laughing. “I have this anxiety when it comes to being seen too much or people seeing through me.”

[From The Cut]

LOL, Normani letting it slip that she’s “involved” with fan accounts. It wouldn’t surprise me, especially when we’re talking about fan-accounts for people other than the biggest names in music. Like, actual fans run Taylor Swift’s fan accounts, same with Beyonce. But an artist like Normani? Yeah, some of it or much of it is not happening organically. It’s probably not even Normani overseeing the stuff, it’s her label. As for what she says about wanting to feel protected/submissive in her relationship… I get that and I understand what she means. But there is this whole “soft girl-to-tradwife” pipeline and I hate all of the messaging around it. I’m not saying Normani is doing that, but I just hope her fans are wary of that kind of messaging.

Cover courtesy of Jessica Madavo for the Cut, additional photos courtesy of Avalon Red.